This invention relates generally to display systems and more specifically to a waiting time display system capable of monitoring and visually or audio-visually indicating the waiting time or transaction time at each of a plurality of locations.
Such a system is useful in business situations, for example banks, wherein a plurality of reception or service desks or counters are simultaneously available for serving customers. It is useful to provide a display at each of these service counters of the expected time required to complete the transaction currently taking place, so that a waiting customer may select an appropriate counter for his transaction.
Additionally, it is useful to provide a centralized display of the waiting times or transaction times at all of these service desks or counters for use by supervisory personnel in guiding or ushering customers to appropriate service counters. Moreover, the time data collected at this centralized supervisory desk may be recorded for later analysis to determine the optimum distribution of services among the plural service desks and to ascertain the efficiency of operation at each service desk.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that such a waiting time display system may find use in various applications such as hotel check-in/check-out counters, ticket counters at railway stations, airports or the like, race tracks, or any similar application.
It will be recognized that a waiting time display system in accordance with the invention, having the foregoing features, to be described in detail hereinbelow, exhibits a number of advantages. For example, each service desk or counter may be operated at its optimum efficiency, thereby optimizing or minimizing the waiting time for customers or clients. Moreover, the monitoring of these waiting times or transaction times at a central location enables direction of clients or customers to one or more service counters where they will be more promptly served. This enhances customer relations, as well as creating an optimum distribution of work load among service personnel, thus minimizing personnel fatigue. Additionally, it is possible to utilize the recorded data to further optimize customer services and personnel work loads.